The Blend Ahead

E85 fuel has arrived in India. We unpack the promise, the trade-offs, and the road ahead.

On 5th June, on World Environment Day, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri launched E85 fuel at an IndianOil retail outlet in New Delhi.

That might sound like just another ribbon-cutting ceremony by government officials. But trust us, this is far from boring. In fact, it even has a bit of controversy going on.

E85, as the name suggests, contains 85% ethanol and 15% petrol (some variants use an 80:20 blend). And it is priced at nearly ₹20 per litre less than regular petrol (which is now E20).

According to the government, if half of the new two-wheelers and four-wheelers transition to using E85, it would result in nearly ₹12,500 crore flowing to farmers, and an annual foreign exchange savings of over ₹15,000 crore. It would also lead to a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by around 70 lakh metric tonnes (the equivalent of planting 3 crore trees).*

But before we pop the ethanol-infused champagne, there are a few hiccups…

Curious? Read or listen to the promise, the trade-offs, and the road ahead for ethanol-blended petrol in India, on Dot.

Find the full story here: https://www.dot.news/post/6a28f88384f85300021e9efe

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